Around 2.2 million people in Belgium were at risk of poverty in 2021: Reports

Around 2.2 million people in Belgium were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2021, despite the implemented government measures having prevented this figure from being higher.

As per the poverty figures for 2021 published by the Belgian statistical office Statbel, around 19.3% of the Belgian population faced at least one of the three(3) situations considered at risk of poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) as set out by the European Poverty Indicator, without the government benefits, this figure would have been as high as 27.8% of the population.

“From this, we learn that the financial measures introduced by the government during the pandemic have protected the population from poverty risks,” a Statbel statement read.

Looking at the various indicators, 13.1% of the Belgian population are part of a grouping considered to be at risk of monetary poverty — meaning individuals whose total disposable income was below the poverty threshold of €1,287 per month.

The figures also showed how 11.9% of the population lived in a household with a low work intensity, and 6.3% of the population was confronted with severe material and social deprivation.

A total of 246,000 people in the country (2.2% of the population) fell under all three risk groupings, meaning they were severely materially and socially deprived, lived in a household with low work intensity, and were at risk of monetary poverty.